Variable tensioning stake

ABSTRACT

A variable tensioning stake has a camming serrated surface adjacent the impact receiving head portion. The head portion is supported by three flanges to dissipate impact stress. The central flange member has a pair of inclined camming surfaces for receiving a substantially square ring in a snap engaging fashion. The major portion of the stake has a front and rear flange connected by a central web with the front flange varying in size to permit a readypenetration of a support surface at the lower portion of the base, while providing a stress resistant structure at the upper portion. The stake can be made of various materials, such as hard plastic.

United States Patent 1 v Blankemeyer et al.

[111 3,732,878 51 May 15,1973

[54] VARIABLE TENSIONING STAKE [21] App]. No.: 157,210

2,647,718 8/1953 Disera ..135/l5 PE X Primary ExaminerKarl .1. Bell A tt0rney- Richard C. Sughrue et al.

[5 7] ABSTRACT A variable tensioning stake has a camming serrated surface adjacent the impact receiving head portion. The head portion is supported by three flanges to dissipate impact stress. The central flange member has a pair of inclined camming surfaces for receiving a substantially square ring in a snap engaging fashion. The major portion of the stake has a front and rear flange connected by a central web with the front flange varying in size to permit a readypenetration of a support surface at the .lower portion of the base, while providing a stress resistant structure at the upper portion. The stake can be made of various materials, such as hard plastic.

7 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is directed to stakes permitting a ready adjustment of tension. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a plastic stake having a camming lock that permits both the application and release of tension from a rope or belt member.

2. Description of the Prior Art Various attempts have been made in the past to provide a stake or anchor member that permits the application and the removal or tension to various supporting wires, guy ropes, and belts. In particular, the U.S. Pat. No. 1,146,128 granted July 13, 1915 and the US. Pat. No. 1,773,760 granted Aug. 26, 1930, disclose tent stakes utilizing a pivoted lever to wedge a rope into locking contact with the stake. The design US. Pat. No. 208,013, June 27, 1967,- U.S. Pat. No. 2,889,129, June 2, 1959, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,647,718, Aug. 4, 1953, disclose various forms of stakes for holding other members in a stationary position.

A major problem associated with the production of stakes is the requirement of competitively manufacturing at a relatively low unit cost, while still producing a hardy stake capable of resisting the stress which it will normally encounter. Generally the prior art relied upon metallic stakes because of their strength characteristics and their easy formability. These advantages were, however, somewhat offset by their susceptibility to deterioration in the environment, the cost of the metal and the weight of the finished product.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an extremely competitive product by utilizing a stake formed of molded plastic. The unique design of the present stake permits a further saving in the amount of plastic required in addition to the ease in which the finished product can be assembled. The stake is formed of hard plastics which can consist of, but are not limited to, various plastics such as polycarbonates, polypropylenes, both homopolymer and co-polymer, and the A.B.S. family of plastics (a combination of acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene), each of these plastics having high impact strength characteristics that make them particularly adaptable to the present invention. The stake design itself helps insure the use ofa minimum amount of plastic material for each stake. The stake has a front and rear flange connected by a web portion. The head of the stake has an integrally formed camming serrated surface that is adjacent the rear flange. The front flange varies in size to provide a lower easily penetratable portion with respect to the ground and an upper stress resistant portion adjacent the head of the stake. The head portion of the stake has a flat impact surface that is adapted to distribute the stress over three supporting flanges. The central flange member includes a pair of inclined camming surfaces that permit a relatively square ring member to be snapped into a pivotable engagement with the central flange. The ring member cooperates with the serrated camming surface to permit a readily adjustable locking engagement with any desired tensioning member. Various modifications of the camming surface and ring are possible to accommodate different tensioning members.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The following drawings are presented to help facilitate an understanding of the present invention and are arranged as follows:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the stake of the present invention connected to a tensioning member;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the stake of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 7 is a plane view of the tip of the stake.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The stake of the present invention is preferably injection molded from a high impact strength plastic such as a plastic from the A.B.S. family of plastics. However, it is possible to utilize the design of the present stake with other material, such as, for example, wood or steel. Referring to FIG. 1, we note the stake 10 comprises a body member 12, a head member 14 and a tip member 16. Each of the components of the stake 10 are integrally formed together during an injection 'molded. The head portion 14 of the stake 10 includes a flat impact surface 28, which is supported for dissipation of stress by three flanges. The flanges are the front flange 20 in its enlarged size, the rear flange 22 terminating adjacent the head 14 in a serrated camming surface 32 and a middle or central flange 36. The serrations 34 can be of any desired design as long as they provide a locking coaction with a ring 30 pivotedly engaged adjacent the middle flange 36. The middle flange 36 can best be seen in FIG. 3 where a pair of inclined camming members 38 help position the ring 30 for easy assembling.

As can be seen in FIGS. 4, 5 and 7, the front flange 20 will vary in size from the upper member 24 to the lower member 26 portion of the stake 10. The thickness of the three flanges 20, 22 and 32 and the web 18 are essentially the same, thus, providing convenient molding parameters with a minimum use of plastic. The front and rear flanges 20 and 22 respectively extend the entire length of the stake and terminate in a point 42 'for penetrating the supporting surface.

As can be seen from FIG. 6, the slanted side 44 of the stake point 42 has a tear shaped portion to lend both strength and penetrating characteristics to the stake point 42.

The ring 30 is of an essentially square shape and can be formed of either metal or plastic as long as it is capable of supporting the stress incurred in the camming operation and flexible enough to snappingly engage into a permanent pivotably position adjacent the middle flange 36.

In operation, a tension member such as the flat strap 40 can be inserted between the wire ring 30 and the camming surface 32. As tension is applied to the strap 40, the ring 30 will wedge or pinch the strap 40 against the serrations 34 of the camming surface 32 to create a non-slip assembly. Once the tension is applied to the strap 40, a non-slip assembly will be created and will hold even if the tension is relaxed on the strap 40 because the ring 30 will remain in position due to both the locking taper of the camming surface 32 and the serrations 34.

Thus, a low cost, quick releasing stake is provided that will secure numerous tension members attached to, for example, newly planted trees, boats, flag poles, volley ball nets, clotheslines, etc.

The particular design of stress resistant flanges and choice of materials ensure a highly competitive and useful variable tensioning stake.

Various modifications of the above preferred embodiment will be obvious to those skilled in the art and accordingly, the above specification should be taken as only illustrative of the present inventive concept and the scope of the invention should be measured only from the following claims in which I claim:

What is claimed is:

1. A plastic stake adapted to be driven into a support surface for holding members under tension comprising:

a body member,

. a head member having an impact surface supported by three flanges to help dissipate the impact energy when the stake is driven into the support surface,

a pointed tip member,

each member'integrally joined together,

the body member having a front and rear flange connected by a web and forming a varying crosssectional I shape which provides the three flanges supporting the head member, the pointed tip member adapted to penetrate the support surface having at least one relatively smaller flange than the flanges of the body portion, and

camming means located on the head member which includes a ring and camming surface for locking the holding members under tension.

2. A stake as in claim 1, where the central flange supporting the head member includes a pair of inclined camming surfaces for permitting the ring to be supported into a pivoting engagement with the stake.

3. A stake as in claim 2, where the front and rear flange of the body member extend upward in the head portion and downward to the very end of the pointed tip member.

4. A stake as in claim 3, where the front flange is always larger than the rear flange and varies in size from the upper to lower portion of the body member.

5. A stake as in claim 3, where the web, rear and front flange have the same thickness.

6. A stake as in claim 3 where the ring issubstantially square in shape and the plastic is a combination of acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene.

7. A stake as in claim 3, where the pointed tip member has at least one portion with a cross-section tear shape. 

1. A plastic stake adapted to be driven into a support surface for holding members under tension comprising: a body member, a head member having an impact surface supported by three flanges to help dissipate the impact energy when the stake is driven into the support surface, a pointed tip member, each member integrally joined together, the body member having a front and rear flange connected by a web and forming a varying cross-sectional I shape which provides the three flanges supporting the head member, the pointed tip member adapted to penetrate the support surface having at least one relatively smaller flange than the flanges of the body portion, and camming means located on the head member which includes a ring and camming surface for locking the holding members under tension.
 2. A stake as in claim 1, where the central flange supporting the head member includes a pair of inclined camming surfaces for permitting the ring to be supported into a pivoting engagement with the stake.
 3. A stake as in claim 2, where the front and rear flange of the body member extend upward in the head portion and downward to the very end of the pointed tip member.
 4. A stake as in claim 3, where the front flange is always larger than the rear flange and varies in size from the upper to lower portion of the body member.
 5. A stake as in claim 3, where the web, rear and front flange have the same thickness.
 6. A stake as in claim 3 where the ring is substantially square in shape and the plastic is a combination of acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene.
 7. A stake as in claim 3, where the pointed tip member has at least one portion with a cross-section tear shape. 